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Vodon, the City of Ash (And Cyclops)
The cyclopses are one of the three original races of Oustomia...at least according to the few with knowledge of what the world looked like at the beginning. The towering cyclopses are a fearsome sight to behold, on average standing about nine feet tall and weighing approximately 900 pounds. It is said that they were once the rules of vast kingdoms that stretched across the entirety of the continent, though such a thing cannot be verified. While the kingdoms of the cyclops have come and gone, it is said that deep in the Nomellang Mountains, one of their kingdoms can still be found relatively intact, coated in the ashes of the Hotush volcano. Vodon Vodon is a city lost in time; a relic of the time when Cyclopses and Dragons dominated the world. The average cyclops these days has little knowledge of the history of their kind. Their minds have long become dominated by a deep and senseless hunger that makes such things as the history of their people and the maintenance of their kingdoms seem like trifling affairs. However, Vodon is perhaps the best evidence in the world that the cyclopses were ever civilized beings. It is a city that has been lost in time. Lying close to the base of the Hotush volcano, the city of Vodon is a city made for beings the size of cyclopses. To a visitor, everything feels massively enlarged, with all of the buildings there having been built to accommodate beings far larger than the average individual dominating the continent in modern times. The last eruption of the Hotush Volcano, which is the home of a massive fire elemental, was recorded in the year 816. However, it has been speculated that there was actually an eruption many hundreds of years prior, which is what left Vodon in such a state. The city itself is one that seems to have been frozen in time. The buildings themselves are relatively intact; simple, square shaped buildings that were typically built directly into the walls of nearby mountains, almost more like caves than homes. Many cyclopses can be found running away from something in the distance. Perhaps, most interesting of all, are the cyclopian families huddled in the corners of their homes, desperate to escape from the incoming ruin. Everything within the city, from its massive structures stretching up into the sky, to the people themselves are covered in ash, their bodies having been burnt to ash and left preserved for any visitors to find. That is, of course, if any adventurers were willing to visit there. For it is said that while the city of Vodon's people are gone, one still lurks high within the mountains. He has become known as the Red Giant. History Cyclopses are typically regarded as isolated beings, only rarely gathering in groups. However, Vodon acts as proof that at some point in time, these massive beings had congregated and formed communities of their own. Vodon was founded at a time when resources were abundant enough in this new world to accommodate large groups of these massive beings. While it can only be speculated what prompted all of these giants to come together, there are some clues hidden within the design of the city itself. A tactical mind would tell you that the city of Vodon seems like an easy city to defend. Build into the side of the nearby Nomellang mountain, the only way to approach the city was to climb up the mountain itself, which would give a pivotal tactical advantage to anyone seeking to protect the city. Furthermore, among the ashes of the city, the remains of crude catapults and other siege weapons can be found dotting the city's walls. Vodon was as well protected as a fortress. Many bastillas can also be found around the town. While no longer operational, these weapons seem to be pointed to the sky, almost as though the cyclopses were concerned about flying intruders. It is unknown what manner of being could possibly threaten a city of giants by force, but the cyclopses seemed prepared for a fight nonetheless. While the history of Vodon can be difficult to uncover within the crumbling walls of the city, there are a few clues strewn about. Many simple carvings can be found on certain buildings that seem to somewhat resemble a crude version of modern day temples. Dotting the walls of these buildings are vast carvings that depict the history of the cyclopses. While the language of the cyclopses has been lost in time, one symbol can be found repeatedly within these carvings. A red cyclops with a massive horn that seemed to stand tall even among a city of giants. Based on the many pictures of the other cyclopses bowing to him, this cyclops appears too be the leader. The Red Giant It is said that among the standard cyclopses (as though anything of their size could ever be considered "standard") that among them walked many "great cyclopses." These great cyclopses were imposing titans with a horn that hung above their massive eye. In Vodon, there too was a great cyclops who, in modern times, would become known only through myths and legends as the Red Giant. In the carvings, the Red Giant is depicted as a god-like being by the rest of the cyclopses. It is obvious to anyone viewing these carvings, even without understanding their language, that the Red Cyclops was the leader. However, there is one odd question that everyone who is brave enough to visit the Vodon finds themselves asking. How did the cyclops, beings who are known to have knowledge of the future, not foresee the volcanic eruption? The answer to this question may be in the Red Giant himself. Insight into the future is both a blessing and a curse. For the cyclops, it often gives them an idea of what dangers lie ahead. However, they also see all of the horrible potential futures that lie waiting for them. Every crisis, nearly averted disaster, and the consequences of even the smallest mistakes are all known the cyclops...and it was enough to drive the one among them with the greatest prognostication among them, the Red Giant, to madness. A Thousand Futures, One Madness Those few cyclopses who are still alive today have much weaker foresight into the future than their forefathers. The cyclopses of the past could see the future much more clearly. The problem, however, is that the future is never for certain, and any number of variables could lead to millions and billions of potential futures. Those who gazed into the future for too long often found that the knowledge was too much for them to handle. The Red Giant's ability to see the future made him the leader of his people. It was he who helped to guide the cyclopses to the mountains so that they could better defend themselves from other ancient beings, such as the dragons who dominated the land. And it was also he who first foresaw the coming volcanic eruption. He could have easily saved his people by warning them of the coming disaster...but instead he did nothing. It is unknown why the Red Giant chose to not warn his people. Perhaps the knowledge of the future was too much for him, and he had simply gone mad. Perhaps he felt that the volcano's eruption was an act of a god, and he thought that allowing his people to be sacrificed would grant him a greater power than ever before. Or, perhaps he could see how the hunger had begun to driven his people to perform heinous acts against one another. Even in the ashes, the remnants of cyclopses could be found fighting among one another, often over a scrap of food. Maybe the Red Giant, knowing how his people were losing their minds and powerless to stop it, accepted the fate of his people. Of course, this is all speculation. What truly happened will remain a mystery. Many say that the Red Giant still lurks in the deepest part of the city, still alive despite the fate that had befallen his city. Some say that he was cursed by the gods for his actions, his ashen body resembling the magma that drifts out of the volcano itself, forced to live in a city that serves only to remind him of his misdeeds. While it is unknown what would drive an adventurer to journey to Vodon, they are advised to be cautious even though the city is seemingly abandoned. How to Get There Vodon has become known to some as simply the City of Cyclopses. It lies in Ithel, a frozen tundra nearly inhospitable to all but the most hardy of beings. Those seeking to travel there can find their way there through a winding path through the Nomellang Mountains. Vodon lies near the Hotush Volcano, which has thankfully remained dormant for centuries. Those who seek to journey there will marvel at the size of the city, which was clearly not built for beings of their size. It has been speculated that the Red Giant has received visitors in the past, and that he remains a relatively intelligent being. It has even been said that he has offspring who have left Ithel to begin traveling across the continent on their own. However, half-cyclopses are rare beings. A red half-cyclops from Ithel traveling the world? What an absurd idea. Category:Lore